Whenever we renovate our house or build our own, often we look out for the indoor stuff. But, if you are looking to furnish your outdoor areas, you might think which wood would suit your lifestyle. Today, in this article we are going to discuss the Best Wood for Outdoor Furniture that will help you in furnishing your outdoor areas.
There are various types of wood materials that can choose from a range of materials. Not all wooden materials are rot-proof but yes, certain wood materials do have an upper hand in that area.
Best Wood For Outdoor Furniture
Following are certain types of wood materials that can be used to furnish your outdoor areas.
Acacia Is Best Wood For Outdoor Furniture
Source: amazon.com
Acacia is a good wood material that can help furnish your outdoor areas but it is quite prone to the wet surfaces. It is cheap as well as rugged but as we discussed, its quality gets affected when it comes in contact with the wet surface.
The abundance of acacia trees worldwide means it can be had for between $2 to $6 per 12”x12”x1” board (known as a board foot. It is available in a range of colors from reddish brown to lights brown.
It also comes in patterns that have grains on it which looks amazing when fixed with appropriate colors Ranging from 1,100 lb f (Acacia mangium) to 4,270 lb f (Acacia cambagei) on the Janka scale, this hardwood naturally resists scratches, dents, and gouges, but at times, you also need to be aware that the blade could get blunted with the usage of chisels along with hand saws and other types of machinery.
The species readily stays together with screws/nails or glue, but substantial elbow grease is taken into smooth sand by interlocking grain shapes.
When coated annually with a transparent protective coat (such as TriCoPolymer Lumber-Seal, available on Amazon), due to its high oil content, acacia handily avoids flies, moisture, warping, and rot and can maintain its color even with extended sun exposure.
However, unsealed acacia is prone to rot and fade away from humidity and direct heat, so it should be kept away from direct sunlight and should always be kept in shade.
Black Locust
Source: pinimg.com
Black Locust is widely used if you want to protect your surface from weather-related troubles but if you want to say it, then it might not be the one you are looking for as they are hard to see and even difficult to varnish. On this tough hardwood weighing 1,700 lb f on the
Janka scale, bruises, dents, and gouges are rare to turn up. Black locust is more labor-intensive for hand-cutting and machine-cutting than cypress, redwood, and cedar,
so it may not be the best outdoor furniture wood you are preparing to create.
The wood material is extremely rigid and hence if you use hand saws and chisels, be extra careful so that no damage to those materials has occurred. It comes in color range from green to dark brown.
It has grains on it and runs off a price ranging from 1 dollar to 5 dollars per foot of the board. Moreover, if you think of assembling it with the help of glues and screws, then it might suit your condition. It also can be sanded without any major risk.
Due to the presence of flavonoids in the interior of the wood, it can bear high amounts of heat and cold. It also provides resistance against fungus and various infestations that occur due to carpenter ants.
As it doesn’t allow oils and stains to settle on, you might not be able to stain the material in a better way as per your customization. Moreover, you will not be able to impose a fading of color that sometimes you want to show off.
Cypress Is Best Wood For Outdoor Furniture
Source: custommade.com
Cypress is a type of wood that you can work with utmost ease but there is a problem. You need to be extra careful about the sand and be cautious that you do not sand it in an ample amount. Cypress is also available for around 4 dollars to 6 dollars per foot of the board.
The price may seem high as the tree has a limited amount of supply. All mature trees all over the world have a limited supply. It is widely available in colors such as golden brown and even reddish brown. It consists of oil which helps and acts as a preservative. The name of the oil is Cypressane.
With the help of it, the wood material is resistant to rain along with rotting and pests. If you use screws or glues and want to assemble the material with the help of it, then, Cypress can use it as it can easily cut without much trouble.
But yes, you need to be careful while denting as it is prone to extreme denting and over-sanding. If you want to make it look out shinier and glossier, then you can use a resistant stain made up of oil. Some people also want to finish the material with other chemicals so that it doesn’t get deteriorate due to sunlight.
Cedar
Source: lrwoodworking.com
Cedar also one of the widely use wood materials if you are looking for some finishing colors that show fading of hues. But yes, this wood material is prone to dents so you need to be careful while using it.
Cedar is widely available in dark brown color and at times, has straight as well as knotty grains in it. It also prices around 2.25 dollars to 6 dollars per foot of board over the world. The Janka Rating of this material is between 320 lb to 900 lb.
It also has a pleasing fragrance and is powerful in protection against moisture and termites. It also is resistant to rotting and beetles. Due to its supple quality, Cedar becomes prone to dings. It is also prone to dents and hence, if you are about to fix screws in it, then you might not use this as the screw-holding property is weaker than the Black Locust and also Acacia.
You also need to dry the surface of the Cedar before applying any stain on it. If you keep your cedar unfinished, it may be possible that the shading exposes to sunlight and hence, gets faded.
It gives a greyish shade when kept exposed. So yes, it is up to the personal preference what you want to keep. If you want to minimize the fading property of Cedar and also want to improvise its defense mechanism against getting rotten, you can use sealer often.
Redwood
Source: buyredwood.com
Redwood is the type of wood that is highly attractive and has the best look. But, it also has the highest price so it all comes down to your budget and other preferences. It is available at a price of 2.25 dollars to 10 dollars per board foot.
The price is high as the supply of redwood is low. It is available in a wide range of colors.
It also has grains on it and these grains range from being irregular to even straight grain. These are the things that widely use for the furniture as it gives an attractive look. It also is resistant to water and moisture. Along with being resistant, it has good protection against rot and other pests.
The Janka rating of this wood is around 450 lb. It impacts the effectiveness of the wood-holding screws. Due to it being less effective than screws, it is quite more prone to denting. This type of wood is stronger with glues as it holds well with it. You also need to ensure that the wood prime with an oil-based substance before proceeding for painting the surface.
This was all about the best wood for outdoor furniture. We discussed various wood materials. These wood materials offer different features. Some of these materials are strong against resistive measures while some of them offer attractive colors. We hope that this article served its purpose and helped you in deciding the best wood for outdoor furniture.
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